Earth digging tool



June 3, i937. v. F. FLANDERA EARTH DIGGING TOOL 2 Sheets-Shet l Filed Sept. 2l, 1936 v INVENroR,

l Wc/avFF/h 'rd BY www ATTORNEY.

- .Fun/e 8, 1937.

V. F. FLANDERA EARTH DIGGING TooL Filed Sept. 2 1, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l 1N VENTOR. 5 IJC /v F/ hier@ BY v Patented June 8, 1937 PATENT OFFIQE 2,083,328 EARTH DIGGING rrooL lVaclav F. Flandera, Cleveland, Ohio Application September 21, i936, Serial No. 101,697

6 Claims.

My invention relates to earth digging tools and in particular to a gear operated spade of a new and different type which will, when properly operated, enter, loosen and lift out or turn over the loosesoil within the trench thus formed with but little effort, the spade being removed only for the downward thrust each time.

The gear operated spade revolves and lifts the soil by the operation of a pivoting handle, a stationary vertical handle being held in an upright ing of the soil position by the pressure of the foot on a pressure plate attached to the vertical handle.

One object of the device is to provide a means whereby the drudgery of manual lifting and turnmay be eliminated and the same work done easily and with a minimum of eiort. Another object is to provide a device to which may be attached spades or blades of any shape or size, the spades or blades being interchangeable on the job within a few moments.

These and other objects may be noted from the following specication and its accompanying illustrations, in whichtf Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the device just after it is thrust into the soil. j

Fig. 2 is a similar View but with the spade in rotated, elevated position, the pivoting handle being drawn forward to lift the soil.

Fig. 3 is a similar view but with the spade rising from the trench in the reverse position to Fig. 2, the pivoted handle being thrust in the opposite direction to that in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the device, but having a spoon type spade attached slightly different from the type shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged front elevation, with the handles broken away, showing the pivoting of the handles and the revolving and lifting of the spade.

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the stationary cog or gear wheel and its cover.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an elevation of a pivot pin for the revolving spade or blade.

Fig. 9 is an end view of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a top plan view of a revolving cog or gear wheel and its cover.

Fig. 11 is a section on line II--II of Fig. l0.

Fig. l2 is a front elevation of a shim.

Fig. 13 is a section online I3-I3 of Fig. l2.

Referring again to the drawings;a relatively fixed or stationary vertical handle I0 has a rounded top portion Illa and a four-square lower end I I, said end being shouldered at I Ia to a flat surfacel I2 on its forward face, an angular plate I3 being secured thereto by bolts I4 and nuts I5. A foot pressure plate I6 is secured to the bottom of the iiange I3a of the angular plate I3 by bolts I'I and nuts I8.

A stationary cog wheel or gear I9 is secured to the face of the angular plate I3 by bolts 20 through apertures'l9a in the cog wheel I9 and retained thereon by nuts 2|, said cog or gear wheel having a series of teeth 22 projecting forwardly therefrom around the outer periphery thereof; a boss 23 in the center of said cog wheel has a bore 23a. therethrough.

A casing 24 of such shape as illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, has a ilanged periphery 25 and a center boss 26 which registers with the boss 23 in the center of the cog or gear wheel I9, a bore 26a in said boss 26 being exactly in alignment with the bore 23a in the boss 23 of the cog wheel I9.

A pivoting handle 21 is similar to the stationary Vertical handle I0 in that it has arrounded top portion 21a, and a four-square lower end 28, the end 28 being shouldered at 28a. to a flat surface 29 on its rearward face, the second angular plate 30 being secured to the said flat surface 29 by bolts 3l and nuts 32.

The casing 24 is secured to the angular plate 30 by a bolt 33 therethrough, said bolt projecting through a shoulder 28h of the four-square end 2B, and secured by a nut 34.

The ange 30a of the angular plate 30 forms a boss having an aperture 36 therethrough, the said flange projecting forwardly from the angular plate 30.

A shim 31 has a pair of ears 38 and 39 projecting upwardly therefrom, said ears having apertures 38a and 39a through the center thereof respectively; a recess 40 spans the rotatable gear or cog 4I where the teeth 4Ia project beyond the casing 42 and within the slot 24a in the casing 24 of the stationary cog wheel or gear I9 to engage with the teeth 22 thereof.

The casing 42 also has a pair of ears 43 and 44 projecting upwardly therefrom corresponding to the ears 38 and 39 of the shim 31, apertures 38a and 39a, in said ears registering with apertures 43a and 44al in the ears 43 and 44.

Bolts 45 through the apertures 38u-43a and 3in1-44a. serve to secure the casing 42 to the casing 24 by means of nuts 46.

A pivot pin 41 is mounted through apertures I3b and 30h of the angular plates I3 and 30 and through the bores 23a and 26a in the bosses 23 and 26 of the stationary cog wheel I9 and the casing 24 respectively, said pin being secured trenchl .W

will be seenthat the spadell. has arcompound Y Y i therein'by' anatra' on the threaded'erid thereof.

A pivotshaft 49 has la square center portion 50 which is mounted within'the square aperture :5l

in the rotatable gear 4| the said shaft projecting through the aperture 52 in theV cover Y53, said cover 53 being secured to the casings 24 andV 42 by screws 54. A boss 55 on therlower face of the Y cover 53 serves as a bearing surface for the ro-A tatingcollar 56 of the spade mounting l5"!,and is `isecured to the shaft liby a set screw 58.* A spade or blade unit` 59 is secured to the flange 57a by boltsr therethrough,v y Y Y Y Y Y In operation, the spade'59 is thrust into theisoil 6I, and YpressedV down by 'foot'pressure Aon the plate |,6 mounted on the-angular plate' IB of the Ystationary vertical* handle mythe pivoting 11andle 27 being'pivoted either forward "or back o'ni the pin 41 causes l'thegear gli! to rotatefbythefen- 1.

the vteeth'u212v of@ I9; the' rotating o the"V I gagement of its teeth Mawith the Vstationary cog Wheel gear yIH in'turn rotatesthe 'spade 59 attached by the collar V5ta "tortheshaft .5l and secured in posivalll parts attached thereto Lorltofwhichjthelyare .a-t-

Y tached, move simultaneously-in1an,arc as shown andillustrated byvkFigs. 2, 3.and 5 .rW'ThefZ-,spade penetrates theY soil under foot,r pressure V,the

V,thrusting forward orrback of the pivoth'andleZl' gears'.Y l A Y 'cuts and lifts the soil' tov be. dislodgedi` This'compound-movementveryeffectively Y 1.c1ai'm:

f' v1.' A digging tool comprisingfa `relatively fixed' handle,a'movable handle pivoted thereto, a blade pivotally connected to Vand'svvnging with the movable' handle, and gearing between the ixed handle and the pivot of the blade, constructed toY rotate the'blade by swinging "the movable handle.

' 2.. digging tool asin claim 1, the gearing includingYY a gear rigidwith the i'lxed handle and another gear meshing Withi the said gear and Vmounted on the pivot ofthe blade. Y

3.'A-`digging tool Vcomprising .apairof handles pivoted togetherV near thelowerends thereof, a

pair of intermeshing gears mounted on the respec- Y tive handles, one gear being relatively fixed and the other relatively movable, a rotary blade carriedib'y one ofthe handles, and apivot connected to theblade andto the movable gear,'to rotate thejblade by relative movement of the handles. V

l@LA.digging tool ,comprising a relatively/xed handle, va vertical gear secured thereto, a movable handle having angular casings secured thereto and rone roi-Which encloses :the face of .thefyertical Y .gear,.a: lpivot connecting-the-handlesgatfthe/,center ,ofthe sadge'a'r, a horizontal :gear .in :thefother Y.casingnand meshing withthe verticalgear, ,ablade Y, belowthe last Ymentionedcasingandaslfi-aftconf .nectngthe horizontalfgearand the blade.Vv ,v 5. A digging tool-as in claim4,1the:angularcas ings having a horizontal ycover platefprojecting vatene side-of the tool andenclosingz'thefhorizontal Y gear, and thenxed handle .having vafootpicce projecting',at the: opposite side of the tool;

V6. A Vdiggingtool'comprising a relatively fixed .handlegamovable handle'pivoted'-thereto,ablade g ',pivot'allyearried by-anddependingffrom thetmovable. handle, andmeansfoperated by swinging Vthe e Y movable handle to -produce a compound -,.move

menty of the blade, on `a-.-horizontal ;aXi-s provided V4by thegpivotofr-the movable.1l-hand1e -andfoniafvertical axisV provided by lthe' pilvotsof the;` bl'adeglrsrd means including 'a-vertical/gear xe'd tortheflxed g handle, :af-horizontal ,gear-meshingjavith saidegear and mountedon -therpivotofgthe blade, andzanguf lar casings secured to the movablefhandleandfen- Y, .closings-aidV gears.

VAcL-.AvfrmLNDERA 

